MANILA, Philippines – After finding out that her son was in the hospital, Eva Cariño saw the opportunity to heal a family rift triggered by Rustom Padilla’s decision to become BB Gandanghari.
“Isang araw last week, tumawag siya sa akin,” Cariño said, referring to Gandanghari. “Sabi niya, ‘Mama, may sakit ako.’ Tumawag ulit, halos hindi ko marinig ang boses niya. Ang hina-hina. ‘Nanghihina na po ako, ang taas ng lagnat ko.’”
After taking Gandanghari to the hospital, she then called Robin and the rest of his siblings to visit him.
“Tinawagan ko ang mga kapatid niya. Sina Robin, sina Rommel, sina Royett…lahat. Dumating, kumpleto,” she said.
“Pagdating ni Robin, ‘O sister! Kumusta ka na?’ Iyon ang bati namin sa kanya. Nangiti si BB, tapos ang mga kapatid niyang babae, ano rin, ‘Ate! Sister!’ Ibig sabihin, tanggap na siya as BB. Hanggang sa araw-araw naming dinalaw,” Cariño said in an exclusive interview with "The Buzz" that aired on Sunday.
Very sick
When Cariño went to Gandanghari’s condo unit, she said she was surprised by how sick Gandanghari looked.
“Pagdating namin doon, natulala ako. Hindi na ako nakasalita dahil ang itsura niya parang wala na. Gusto kong umiyak, hindi ako maka-iyak. Gusto kong sumigaw, hindi ako makasigaw. Natulala ako, hindi ko alam na ganoon ang dadatnan ko,” she said.
She added that Gandanghari probably waited for several days, and only called her when he was too weak to move on his own and felt as if he was on the brink of death.
Gandanghari was rushed to the hospital, and doctors said he suffered from extreme dehydration resulting in infections.
Cariño said Gandanghari’s illness had a lot to do with the healing of his rift with his siblings.
“Okay naman sila, tanggap naman siya, pero nararamdaman niyang parang iba [pa rin ang turing sa kanya],” Cariño said of Gandanghari’s relationship with his brothers.
“Iba iyong closeness nila [na magkakapatid] noong hindi pa siya ganyan. Iba-iba ang opinion,” she added.
As a mother, she said while she had difficulty accepting her son’s sexual preference, she could not deny her child her love.
“Ako naman, anak ko iyon, e. Hindi naman pwedeng itapon. Anak is anak. Kung iisipin mo talaga, masakit na naging ganoon siya, ‘di ba, pero ano ang magagawa natin? Wala. Iyon ang gusto niya, iyon ang nafe-feel niya. Sige na lang,” she said.
‘Tita BB’
His siblings’ visit to the hospital also led Gandanghari to form a closer bond with his nephew, Robin’s son Ali, Cariño said.
“’Di ba ang anak ni Robin kasi, gusto raw maging boksingero? So sinabi ni Robin, ‘Alam mo si Tita BB mo noong bata, magaling mag-boxing iyan.’ So noong nasa ospital si Ali, [nakikipag-boxing siya] kay Rustom. Tuwang tuwa si Ali, tuwang-tuwa rin si Robin. So ngayon, ‘Tita’ na ang tawag sa kanya ni Ali,” she said.
Robin posted a photo on Instagram of his son boxing with Gandanghari, who was still in his hospital bed. In his post, he referred to Gandanghari as his “sister” for the first time in public.
“Masayang-masaya ako. Halos hindi ako makapagsalita. Mabuti naman na nagkasakit siya, para nagkasundo na sila,” Cariño said. “Ano na [kayong magkakapatid], five girls, three boys.”
She added that she is now very happy that her children are friends again.
"Robin, lahat kayong magkakapatid, salamat sa pagtanggap niyo kay BB. Napasaya niyo ako. Matagal kong tiniis na hindi kayo nagkakasundo. Ngayon, masayang-masaya na ako," she said.
Gandanghari was released from the hospital on Thursday, but is under doctor's orders to observe strict bed rest.
He recently posted a photo of his family on Twitter, with the caption “A family love that heals… #feelingbetter”.
Carino said Gandanghari should take care of himself so he will get well.
"BB anak, alam kong masayang-masaya ka, nakita ko sa mukha mo, ganoon din kami. Magpagaling ka, magpaganda ka, nang lalo kaming matuwa sa iyo," she said.
Robin, meanwhile, declined to further comment on the issue.
